Opportunities for Integrated Climate, SRHR and Gender Investments
We stand at a critical juncture where urgent action is required to address the interconnected challenges of climate change, SRHR, and gender equality. By aligning investments in climate action, SRHR, and gender equality, climate and health investors can unlock transformative outcomes for sustainability, SRHR, and community resilience to climate change.
The WHO framework for climate-resilient health systems is a useful starting point for understanding the broad categories of interlocking investments that are needed to take a systems-lens to climate and health resiliency. The WHO framework has been adapted here to highlight examples of synergistic investment opportunities that can have an impact-multiplying effect across climate action, gender equality, and SRHR.
Leadership & Governance
CHALLENGE
Globally, most Ministries of Health are not equipped to consider and plan for the gendered health impacts of climate change. On the climate side, women’s health and/or gender are often not mentioned in current national adaptation plans (NAPs).
Health Workforce
CHALLENGE
Frontline healthcare workers are seeing first hand the effects of climate change on human health. They are well-positioned to be important first-responders and advocates for ensuring that population health and health care systems are resilient in the face of climate change, but lack training and resources to do so.
Health Information Systems
CHALLENGE
Risk Monitoring & Early Warning Systems aim to anticipate risks and trigger early warning responses to affected populations in order to reduce impact and prepare for effective response. Without access to essential information about relief and protection services, women’s health, agency, and mobility are at disproportionate risk.
Resilient & Sustainable Infrastructure
CHALLENGE
Up to one billion people are projected to migrate within and across borders by 2050 due to climate change, with 80% of this displaced population estimated to be women and girls. SRHR services are often disrupted or limited by migration, resulting in high levels of unmet need for contraception, increased rates of unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortion.
Service Delivery
CHALLENGE
Weather events routinely damage healthcare facilities and hinder access to essential SRH and maternal services. The destruction of healthcare infrastructure, coupled with the lack of women-friendly spaces in evacuation shelters, often results in increased sexual violence, unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and pregnancy complications.
Climate & Health Financing
CHALLENGE
Climate and health financing that have dual impacts across SRH, climate resilience and mitigation, and gender equality are at a very nascent stage. To date, there has been little climate funding that has been directed towards the health sector, despite the benefits that cross-sectoral funding could provide.